Liquid-flow regulator



y 6, 1930. w. CARTER 1,757,171

LIQUID FLOW REGULATOR Filed July 30 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet l 6/01 61206 f7. [Jr/27' 1 May 6, 1930. c. w. CARTER 7,

LIQUID FLOW REGULATOR Filed July so, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 6, 1930. c. w. CARTER LIQUID FLOW REGULATOR Filed July 30, 1925' 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 May 6, 1930. c. w. CARTER 5 LIQUID FLOW REGULATOR Filed July so. 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 6, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE em nence w. CARTER, or MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESQ'IA, 'Assreivon, BY .MESNE ASSIGN- r MENTS, T HART-CARTER COMPANY, or PEOBIA, ILLI1\TOIS, a CORPORATION or DELAWARE Application filed July so,

My invention provides an extremely simple and highly eflicient liquid flow regulator, by

the use ofwhich a predetermined flow of liquid, per unit of time, maybe very accur-ately maintained. Generally stated, the in:

vention Consists of the novel devices, combinations of devices and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and defined in the claims. V

A liquid flow regulator of this character may be used to control the flow of various different liquids for various different uses, but the purpose may be best illustrated by noting one of its major uses, to wit: for supplying to wheat the predetermined amount of water required to condition the same for milling; and in the further description of this regulator, it will be treated as designed for use for the particular purpose above just noted.

V The invention is illustrated-in theaccom-.

panying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views. 1

Referring to the drawings: Fig. 1 is an elevation with some parts broken away and some parts sectioned, showing the complete regulator;

Fig. '2 1s a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, the cover being removed; g 0 i Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 2, some lower portions of the supporting standard being broken away;

Fig. 1 is a transverse section on the line 14ofFig.2;and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the graduated flow-indicator-scale shown as laidout tion of a valve casing 12 that extends through the bottom of the container and is connected thereto with a liquid-tight joint.- A water LIQUID-FLOW nnsuna'ron 1 1925. Serial No."47,1 18.

supply pipe 13, which is connected to 'a ,connectedto the water inlet 11. Mounted in the upper, end of the inlet passage 11 is an upwardlyopening valve 1e adapted to be opened by water pressure fromthe pipe 13 and-to be closed by a float 15.1 This float 15 rides on the water contained in the container, and in the arrangement illustrated is connected by a pluralityof links 16 to levers 17 intermediatelypivoted at 18 to the flange-like projection of the valve casing 12. The inner ends .of the lever 17'engageon top ofthe inlet valve 71-4. and press the said valve closed when the float 15 has been raisedby the water in the container to a predetermined altitude. I The float 15 and the connections describedco operate with the valve 14 to maintain within the container-an elevation of water that some- What closely approaches a constant altitude. This automatic regulation of the inflow of the water, however, is a minor feature, for, as

will hereinafter appear,- this improved flow tom of the container and the upper end of which is slightly above'the maximum altitude of the water maintained in the container by the action of the float 15. .Said pipe simply prevents flooding if the float-actuated valve 14 should, for any reason, leak or fail to completely close. The numeral 20 indicates a suitable cover for the container.

The water outlet of the container, as

shown, is in the form of atube or stack 21 that has; a fl uid-tight jointwith the bottom of the container and extends upward through the water thereincontainedto a point above the highest possible altitude of the fvvater within thecontainer, to wit: above the level of the upper end of the overflow pipe- 19. The water does not overflow directly through i this outlet passage, but, as willpresently appear, overflows directly through the floating weir and discharge pipe. 7 I q The salient features of this invention reside in the provisionof a floating weir for controlling the discharge of water from the con tainer. This weir is carried by a float that rides on or in the water maintained in the container, so that the weir, when set for any predetermined flow, will accuratelymaintain hat flow, regardless. of variations in the altitude of the water in the container. The most and operate as a single unit and, of course,

are carried and supported by said float. The bowl 24 is provided with a depending internally threaded centrally located sleere 25. Extended through the sleeve 25 and having threaded engagement therewith is a discharge tube shown as made up of two sections 26 and 27 connected together by sweating,

friction or otherwise, so that they move to-.

gether when rotated.

To complete the weir, the tube 27 is prograduations on the scale '32 that are of convided with a-lateral discharge passage 28, which, as shown, extends-somewhat below the upper edge of the tube 26, so that the upper edgeof said tube 26- forms the lower line of said discharge passage. Preferably, the upper edge of said tube 26 is beveled so as to provide asharp overflow edgefor the discharged water. For a purpose that will presently appear, the discharge passage 18 is made of a peculiar formhto be hereinafter more fully described. 7

To the upper end of the tube 27 is rigidly secured, by sweating-or otherwise, a flanged read 29, and to this head a-rotary' cap 30 is attached by means-of an axially located screw 31; The cap 30 carriesja depending annular indicator plateor scale flange 32 that is graduated, as'best shown in Figs. 4

and" 5, to indicate the settingof the weir for the flow of water in units of weightper units of time. As shown, the'said graduations indicate the'sett-ing of the weir for the flow of water in pounds? per minute, and it will benoted that, 1n the arrangement shown,

g "he graduations are, inspiral arrangement,

so that the length of the scale isjmade several times the clrcumferen'ceof the, annular 1ndicator flange'or plate 32. The graduations 'on' thisscale cooperate witha pointer or finger 33 located adjacent thereto and secured above desc'r1bed,- greataccuracy is required,

on the top of the floating siphon23. Also,

'itmay be: noted that the scale33 is formed integral with the top plate that is clamped to the rotary cap 30 by one or more small screws 3%, (see particularly Fig.3). The cap 30 is capable of'circumferential adjustments in respect to the tube 27, so as to set the a11- nular scale 32 correct in'respect to the tube 27 and pointer 33.

In Fig. 3, the weir is shown as set for nearly maximum flow. By rotation of the cap30 and discharge tube 26 .27 the discharge passage 28 may be raised and lowered "at will and the amount of flow for which the hen the'upper edge of the tube 26 is raised 1 to orslightly, above the'level of the water in V the bowl 24, the flow oflwate'r willbe'cut ofi'. Ofcourse, the level of the water in the bowl 24 will be the same as the level of the water in the container 10. In the machine illustrated, the discharge tube 26 is'always free from but delivers into a basin or receptacle 35 securedto one side of the pedestal 8. This basin is provided with a dischargetube 36 to which a tube of any suitable kind maybe attached for the delivery of the water to the grain or'material to be dampened.

In practice, I have foundthat, to provide stant space progression in acireumferential passage 28,- on different horizontal levels, must vary so as to give an irregular variation inthe vertical outline of said discharge passage. The outline shown in- Fig. 3 is one which, in practice, I have found to accomplish the above result.

To start the'flow regulator into action, th annular siphon 23 must, of course, be primed or filled wlth water, and as a Simple means for accomplishing this,I provide a small inverted priming siphon 37, the short leg of ,which terminates just below the top of the annular siphon, and the long legof which extends'throughthe top of the siphon and is rigidly attached thereto,'-as best shown in Fig. 3. When suction isapplied to the projecting upper end of the priming siphon 37 air will be drawn out of the annular siphon 23, the said siphon 23 will be filled with water to its crown and all of that portion of the priming siphon 37 that is below the water level at the crown of the'said siphon 23 will be filled "with water so that said priming In a measuring instrument'of the chara'cter from side lash or pressuredue to the flow of be kept'filled with direction, the cross section of the? discharge-1 siphon then becomes a sealed water trap and the annular siphon 23will water.

the water to and throughthe weir. This, I

have found, may be very satisfactorily ac 'complished by the use of a baflieplate, such flange 40 are shown as spaced slightly from i the walls of the container and, surr0undmg the annular outlet passage 21','said plate 38 is provided with a water passage 41 that is eccentric to said passage 21 and has its greatest distance therefrom at a point diametrically opposite to the float 15, so that the water will flow upward through said passagefl ll with approximately equal velocity at all points surrounding said passage 21.

The siphon 23, as shown, 1s an endless siphon and such is a very desirable form, be

cause it gives a centralized flow of the water, that is, a flow that is equally distributed from all points around and toward the axis of the floating weir.

hen the liquid flow regulator is used, for example, to supply water to a flowing stream of grain, it is desirable that the flow regulator be cut out of action when the flow of grain is stopped or interrupted. A part only of such device is illustrated in Figs. .1 and 3,

used in thermostatically controlled furnace regulators, the rotor of said motor having a crank 52 connected by a link 54 to a lever 55 intermediately pivoted to a bracket 56 secured on the interior of the pedestal 8 and having its other end connected to the lower end of a trip rod 57. The trip rod 57, as shown, works through the top plate 9 and to the upper end thereof is secured a forked head 58 that loosely embraces thesleeve 25 of the bowl 24. For the purposes of this case, it is only desirable to note that, when themotor crank 52 is'in its normal upturned position,

the rod 57 and head 58 will be lowered and the floating weir will be in action, but when said crank 52 is turned downward, the rod 57 and head 58 will be raised,thereby lifting the floating structure,22232t so that the discharge passage 28 of the'weir will'be above the water level and the flow of water from the dam will be cut off. Any suitable 7 means may be used for automatically actuat ing the motor 50, but since the tripping device constitutes no part of the presentcim'en- 7 tion, its construction and A operation need not here be further traced. i

From what has been said, it of course follows that the invention herein disclosed and specifically illustrated. in the drawings is capable of a large range of modification within the scope of the invention defined in the claims. The floatingweir isherein considered to be 'a broadly new feature and is herein generically claimed as applied in a device a bowl, and a siphon delivering liquid from for regulating the flow of liquids, irrespective of the character of the liquid and the material to which it is to be applied, if, in fact, theliquid is to be applied to any other substance.- Several of these devices are ca-; pable of use, for example, to control the flow of several different liquids to be commingled in predetermined quantities or proportions.

' lVhat I claim is said floating weir having a discharg'epassage that is vertically adjustable in respect to the water level to vary the flow controlled by said weir said partsbeing combined as a complete self-contained structure.

A' liquid flow regulator comprising. a

liquid container having an inlet and an out-v let, and a floating weir confined within said container and co-operating with the outlet thereof to control ithe'flow of liquid from said container, said parts forming a selfecon- V tained complete liquid flow regulator. wherein 50 indicates a spring motor such as 4. A liquid flow regulator comprising a liqu d container having an inlet and an outlet,

a float within said container, and a weir carried by said float and controlling the flow of liquidfrom said "container through said outlet, the said weir being vertically adjustable 5. A liquid flow regulator comprising a liquid container and afloating: weir structure including a siphon,controllingthe flow 'of" liquid from said container. I

"6. A. liquld flow regulator comprising a liquid container, and'a floating weir structure 1 controlling the flow of liquid from said con-' tainer, said weir structure including a float, a bow l,ancl a SIPhOII del vering liquid from said container into said bowl, and the component elements ofsaid weir structure being connected for common floating movements. 7; A liquid flow regulator comprising a 1 A liquid flow regulator'comprising a as a com liquidcontainer, and a floating weir structure controlling the flow ofliquid from' said container,v said Weir structure including a float,

said container into said bowl, said bowl having a. discharge tube; formed with a lateral I water discharge passage openingfr'om the bowl, and means for vertically adjusting said ments." 1 "8'. A liquid flow regulator comprising a liq-- carried'by said float forinaintaining a com- -mon level of liquid in said container and 5 bowl, and a weir connected to and vertically moved by said float and controlling the flow of liquid from said bowl. I 10. A liquid flow regulator comprising'a sage, a graduated annular scale applied to the upper end of said weir tube, and a cooperating relatively fixed pointer carried by the float structure. e V

17. A liquid fiow regulator comprising a liquid container and an adjustable weir associated with and controlling the flow from saidcontainer, and an indicating element associated with said weir and having scale graduations indicating the rate of flow, said indicating elementbeing normally connected .for movement by said weir, and means for adjustingsaid indicating element in respect .to said weir to effect the proper settingv thereof. V In testimony whereof]? aifix mysi gnature.

' CLARENCE CARTER.

liquid container, a float within saidcontainer, 1

a bowl carried by said float, and a siphon structure connected to said bowland float and'centralized'around the bowlso as to deliver a centralized flow of liquid from said container into said bowl, and a weir carried by said bowl and controlling the discharge of liquid from said bowl. I

11. A liquid flow regulator comprising a liquid container, an annularfloatwithin said container, a bowl axially located within said 3o float, a substantially annular siphon connecting said float and bowl and delivering from said container into said bowl, and a weir carried by said bowl and controlling the discharge of liquid from. said bowl.

12. The structure defined in claim 11 in Which said container has means'for forming a discharge passage. located between the radially inner and outer portions of. said siphon and extended above the water level.

13. The structure defined in claim 8 in further combination with an inverted priming siphon applied to said first noted siphon, operating under suction to cause said first noted siphonto be filled withliquid and then serving as a liquidclosed trap.

e 14. The structure defined in claim 8 in which said weir is in the form ofa tube pro- .videdwith a lateral liquid discharge passage and extends through the bottom of said bowl bowl, and a scale indicating the vertical adjustment of said weir 'in respect, to said bowl. a

15. The structure definedin claim 11 in which said weir is in the form of a tube projected through the bottom of said bowl and having threaded engagement therewith for vertical adjustments of the weir, said tube having a lateral liquid discharge passage.

16. The structure defined in claim 11 in which said weir isin the form of a tube and is vertically adjustable in respect to said projected -through the bottom of said bowl I .and having threaded engagement therewith for vertical adjustments of the weir, said.

tube having a lateral liquiddischarge pas- 

